Topband: Beverage Installation Question.

[Tom McAlee]

> How far to each side do I need to clear the path before the law of 
> diminishing returns occurs?

W8JI's page says to trim back any substantial foliage in contact with the 
wire.  He says he's never seen a problem allowing a wire to contact a 
branch, although he does trim out the branches to avoid it.

ON4UN discusses using electric-fence insulators when using tree trunks as 
support, which infers that having the wire close to a tree trunk is ok.

When I installed mine, I cleared a path through the woods for overhead 
branches and leaves.  But, I did not clear anything on the ground.  In the 
summer, these strange stalky-looking plants take over.  They have 
thick-walled hollow stems and are very wet when you break them.  They grow 7 
to 8' tall, which is about 2' under my Beverage wires.

They don't seem to make a difference.  A/B tests with the other antennas are 
the same as they were in the spring before those plants took over.  By the 
fall they will be dried up little sticks and I'll check again.

73,
Tom, NI1N